Monday 30 April 2012

Award-Winning Journalist?


It appears that this future PR maven just so happens to be an award-winning journalist. 

Okay, that sounded a bit cocky. 

Let’s try again...

It just so happens that this PR student won an award for an article she wrote for Undressed Winnipeg magazine.  

Better?

At the magazine fair held at Red River last month, awards were given to different magazine groups for things like best booth, best overall magazine, etc. I was both happy and shy to hear that I received an honourable mention for best magazine article. This isn’t a category that is normally apart of the judging process, which is why I was especially honoured to receive it. 
Honourable Mention Prize
My article was about a young woman’s cultural experiences between sex in Somalia, versus sex in Winnipeg. It dips into topics of virginity, sexual norms, and female circumcision. 

Prior to the magazine fair, I had entered this article to be the possible recipient of an Eric and Jack Wells Foundation award of $500. The awards were presented during our weekly first-year seminar, a week or two after the fair. 


A few friends of mine were certain I was going to win, but there were over 30 amazing submissions; it was really anybody’s game. But to my surprise, I somehow managed to snag one of the awards. If you don’t believe I didn’t see it coming, just think back to my “thank-you speech” I gave when I received my cheque. I was definitely caught off guard. 
I’ve been promising people that I would post this article on my blog, and the time has finally come. Although I have permission from the young woman I interviewed to disclose her full name, I have decided to take her name out of the article, and change it to the most generic name I can think of...Jane Smith. 

*If you would like a FREE PDF of Undressed Winnipeg Magazine, feel free to provide me with your email

Somalia to Winnipeg

A Young Woman’s Cultural & Sexual Experience

Jane Smith moved to Winnipeg from Ethiopia 10 years ago when she was 13. She grew up in a Muslim community and respected many of the different traditions of her culture, some of which may seem bizarre to some Canadians. After moving to Winnipeg she was surprised about often women here openly talk about sex.

“Where I’m from, sex wasn’t talked about, and it wasn’t really a pleasurable experience for women,” said Jane. 

In Somalia, sex is not something meant for women to enjoy. Girls as young as three are circumcised to ensure they don’t have sex before they’re married to someone their family has chosen for them; these marriages usually happen once a girl turns 13. In many Canadian elementary schools, kids learn about sex from their teachers, and are encouraged to have “the talk” with their parents. For Jane, the circumcision was “the talk.” Her parents didn’t talk about what sex meant in their community, it was just something that was understood. Girls knew that having sex after they’ve had the procedure would be painful, and therefore would want to put off the experience.

“As soon as the cut happens, you know the sex isn’t going to be pleasurable.”

There are between 8-12 different types of circumcisions a girl can have in Somalia, and the type she gets depends on what tribe she’s from. Although this procedure can happen to girls as young as three, it mainly depends on when the girl develops enough room for the doctor to cut and sew the right spots around the vagina. Jane was four when it happened to her. 

“I was excited to get it done before I actually got down there. It happens to every female and they make it exciting. My sister who was three at the time went before me on the same day, and so having her there made it even more exciting. We were becoming women.”

While some people view this procedure as a rite of passage, others view it as violence against women, as it can sometimes lead to death. “Often performed without anesthetic under septic conditions by lay practitioners with little or no knowledge of human anatomy or medicine, female circumcision can cause death or permanent health problems as well as severe pain. Despite these grave risks, its practitioners look on it as an integral part of their cultural and ethnic identity, and some perceive it as a religious obligation,” Frances A. Althaus, executive director of International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. (http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/2313097.html

Sex for the first time can often hurt for girls. But having sex years after you’ve been circumcised can hurt twice as much. Not only does the penis need to enter the vagina for the first time, but it needs to penetrate through stitches that have been in place for quite a while. 

Boys in Somalia also get circumcised, but it’s a different feeling for them than it is for girls. 

“We get circumcised too but it’s just a little cut for us, which actually makes us get more easily aroused, if that makes sense.  It actually kind of makes the penis work better in a way,” said Yohanise Gabraeyasuse, a University of Manitoba student. 

When Jane came to Winnipeg, she avoided having sex but not because she wanted to wait until she was married. Although she does follow different Muslim traditions, she considers herself to be a free spirit and only engages in traditions that make sense to her. Jane’s mother died when she was seven, but had told Jane she wouldn’t force her to marry someone she wasn’t comfortable with. Her parents believed in their traditions, but also wanted their kids to be happy. 

“I wasn’t really avoiding having sex before marriage. I just wanted to wait until I had a stable job with reasonable income, in case I got pregnant. I didn’t want to be foolish.” 

Although Jane doesn’t feel that she has achieved long-term employment, she is considering having sex for the first time with her boyfriend whom she’s been dating for a couple of months, providing things continue to go well in their relationship. Even though she uses the word “boyfriend,” she’s reluctant to use that label because she doesn’t want to make things seem too official.

“I don’t want a serious relationship; I do want to meet different people. But just because I want to have a good time, doesn’t mean I’m going to start sleeping with every man I meet.” 

Despite the fact that Jane is still a virgin, she has recently tried to have sex. Because it was her first attempt she was scared for what would happen. She didn’t know how much it would hurt, how it would feel, or if it was even possible for her to enjoy herself. When it got down to the penetration part of the experience, she felt a bit of pain and was afraid that feeling was only leading to further discomfort. So they both decided to stop and wait for another moment where she felt more prepared. 

“I don’t want to expect something to be enjoyable but then go through the painful experience and never get the pleasure that everyone talks about.”

Jane knows there’s more to the overall sexual experience than just intercourse. When asked if she’s engaged in any other activity in which other parts of her body were aroused, or if she had done anything to stimulate her partner, she starts to giggle.

“I tried to do the whole oral thing. Tried and failed. It was too big. My mouth is too small apparently. I didn’t know how to do it so I ended up just scrapping his penis with my teeth.”

The giggles continue.

“I don’t want to say that I’m in a rush to have sex. I mean, I definitely want to have sex before I die a virgin. There’s just that feeling there that you want to fulfill so it’s natural for me to want to satisfy those urges.”

Wednesday 25 April 2012

Best Dressed Male & Female of the 2012 CCMAs


Last night was the Creative Communications Media Awards, and I extend big CONGRATULATIONS to all the first and second year award recipients. I’m especially proud of the cute and quirky Kyle Jahns who won the Good Guy (or Gal) award, as it was well deserved. If anyone else had won, there would’ve been a definite uproar I’m sure. 

I would like to give out an award for the Best Dressed Male & Female CreComm student of the evening. The best dressed male was a first year student, soon to be a valuable member of the advertising field. He wore a swanky medium-grey suit, with a black dress shirt underneath. The lack of tie didn’t hurt the ensemble; in fact, it made it look better...chic and casual I’d say. Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of the strapping young gentleman...but most of you probably saw him last night.

The award for Best Dressed Male goes to....























KELLY MCGUINNESS! 

*Kelly also won best print ad for his Big Rock beer ad. Good job!

The award Best Dressed Female also goes to a first year student. Heads turned as she walked into the room, struttin’ her stuff in a sexy but modest, orange laced dress. Not everyone can pull of orange, but this brown-haired beauty did it flawlessly as the compliments continued to flow her way throughout the evening. 

The award for Best Dressed Female goes to.....

























 LAINA HUGHES


 *Laina and myself shall be partners in crime as we tackle the life of PR students, next year!

Runner-up for Best Dressed Female is Chantal Verrier, who sported a sexy black dress, which had one strap going across the chest, and two going across the back. Her ensemble was completed with a beautiful silver necklace that was surely one of the main focal points of the evening. Absolutely stunning!



Looking forward to the Glitz N’ Glam the 2013 CCMAs will bring out next year. It will be the 10th anniversary of the event, and I’m sure Josh and Liz have tons of goodies planned!

Monday 23 April 2012

CreComm Finale


April 20th, 2011 at 11am marked the date and time I officially finished my first year of Creative Communications. It has been a long year, yet a short year; I’m sure my fellow crecommers understand what I mean by that. I’ve met so many interesting people in the last year, and made some really great new friends. 

I’ve been in university for a few years leading up to CreComm, but never really understood how different college would be. It wasn’t just the college atmosphere that was different, but the CreComm program is especially unique. To be honest, I don’t understand why anyone would want to do anything else. I’ve learned more this year than I had anticipated, and had a ton of new experiences. Here’s 10 of them, just off the top of my head. 

1.       Attended a city council meeting

2.       Filmed and edited a video montage

3.       Created a magazine from the ground up

4.       Met Peter Mansbridge

5.       Directed a talk show

6.       Hung out with Hugh McFadyen and the PC party on election night

7.       Live-tweeted a 3 -day long event
8.       Wrote a screenplay
9.       Received a $500 award for “best” print journalism
10.   Spent Remembrance Day with Canadian artillery gunners


It’ll be exciting to see what the second year of the program has to offer, but I’m already anticipating these five things:

1.       Shooting and editing a short film
2.       Doing stand-up comedy
3.       Organizing a news conference
4.       Hosting a Red Dress Gala & Fashion Show
5.       Learning more about photography 

I’ve been in school as long as I can remember, and I’m both scared and excited to what it’s like to have it all come to an end as I leap into a grown-up job (more excited than scared).  But for now, what I’m really looking forward to is tomorrow night's Creative Communications Media Awards (CCMAs) at Republic Nightclub; can’t wait to get all dolled up!  

Wednesday 18 April 2012

CreComm Assignments Page

From time to time instructors ask us to blog and specified topics, some of which I put on my designated "Crecomm Assignments" page. Since there's only two days left of CreComm, I figured I'd delete the page for the summer. Besides, I only have two assignments on there anyway, and now...I have them below.

Enjoy!

Journey for Justice 
March 30, 2012

I thought it was really smart to start the story right on the day Candace disappeared. It may seem tempting to starts with some family history or information about the city, but Mike McIntyre made the right decision on how to start. It is an engaging read right from the beginning, which lead me to keep reading.

His intro started with Mark Grant being interviewed as someone seemingly getting back on track with his life, and ended with letting the readers know that Grant was Candace’s murderer. This may seem unusual but because it is a true crime novel and not a work of fiction, conducting the intro this way made sense.

There were too many doctor reports towards the middle of the novel. This slowed down the engagement of the story and was hard to get through. From what I gathered, most of the doctors had said pretty much the same thing; Grant is likely to re-offend.

As a journalist it is important to remember that when you’re writing an article, you’re writing a story. McIntrye’s book wasn’t filled with fluff, but with facts and strong quotes, but he still managed to tie everything together to make things flow rather than sounding like a long list of facts.

I was not impressed with how the presentation went. McIntyre started off the seminar by talking about his role in this book, and other book’s he’s written previously, which was fine. However, he talked for the first 30minutes. Then he finally turned it over to Wilma Derksen, who I was more interested in listening too. She talked for 12 minutes then McIntrye cut her off and told her it was time for us to ask questions, but then he did one last rant about himself. Not cool!

 

Fall 2011

Bloggin' Love

Skepticism
I never really thought that I would become a blogger. I used to read a few blogs years ago, but was always bored with the content. From what I saw, people mostly used their blogs to complain about all the terrible things that happen to them in their life. You know, waiting in line at Tim Horton’s for more than 10 minutes, being cut off in traffic, the cold winter weather that always seems to surprise Winnipeggers when it approaches; such horrible things that they can’t wait to get on a computer and blog about. To me, most people seemed to use their blogs as their journal and unfortunately the ones I read, weren’t very interesting. And so, I didn’t want to become one of those who bored people with the mundane details of my life; who cares right?  I felt the same way about Facebook. I didn’t see the point or the excitement of updating your status every few minutes outlining details of your day that nobody wants to read.  



Conversion
Of course, I gave into Facebook a couple of years ago. I don’t update my status 11 times a day like a lot of people do, but it does have its uses and entertainment value. But it wasn’t until I started CreComm this fall, that I started blogging. We were asked to pick a topic or a theme for our blog and as I’m sure you’ve noticed I picked the theme of starting my own clothing line. So far I’m having a lot of fun with it and learning a lot about fashion and the industry. I like having the chance to incorporate what I learn into my blog, so that other people with similar interests can learn new things as well, along with sharing some of their knowledge and experience with me.

For example, one of my fellow Crecommers and bloggers, Monique Pantel, commented on the pictures I posted about my design sketching attempts. She referred me to a website where I can print out outlines of people so I can just draw the clothing on them to make things easier. I haven’t tried it yet but I know it will definitely come in handy. Check out Monique Pantel's blog. If the link take you to a page with a beautiful blonde at the top, then you've arrived at the right place :D

It’s a really good feeling when people comment on your blog posts, because it lets you know that people are actually reading your blog, and are interested in what you’re writing. I’ve slacked off a little bit with posting, but hope that I will soon get back into the swing of things.

Wednesday 11 April 2012

Alpha Phi 2012 - Montage


Alright folks, here it is....

...Alpha Phi 2012 Montage!

For four years before I started CreComm, I was an active member of Alpha Phi (female) Fraternity. It was quite a big chunk of my young adult life, and so I decided to make my montage about the current members of Alpha Phi. I struggled with the idea of shooting this concept for a long list of reasons, and had a few backup plans in case I changed my mind. But after seeing the finished product, I’m happy with my decision. 

I started shooting in late February, which meant I had over a whopping 300 clips to sort through while editing. Note to self, shoot shorter clips. 

Are some of the shots shaky? Kinda. Is the white balance off in a few clips? Perhaps. Did I put a lot of time and hard work into creating this video? You bet! There are a number of things I would’ve done differently, now looking back on my footage. But this is my first major video project, and I look forward to taking what I’ve learned, and using those things to my advantage in the future. I loved the shooting and editing process, and I’m happy to be doing a lot more next year.

Until then...

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you...a Charmaine J. Jennings production!


Comments and feedback are strongly encouraged :D

Tuesday 10 April 2012

Dionysus in Stony Mountain Review


Last week I saw Steven Ratzlaff’s Dionysus in Stony Mountain play at the Rachel Browne Theatre. A few of my classmates had gone to a show the night before, and so they talked about their own experiences in regards to the play. From what I heard, religion was a strong element in the production, which worried me because often things that heavily rely on religion as a theme, don’t seem to hold my attention for very long…

…and I was right to be worried.

Nestled into my seat, my eyes were on the clock waiting for the play to begin. It started about 10 minutes late, which doesn’t seem like a long time, but I was already beginning to get antsy.

The first act finally started with actor Sarah Constible on set, portraying the role of prisoner psychiatrist, Heidi Prober. She was quickly joined on stage by Ross McMillan, aka, James Hiebert, a prisoner of Stony Mountain seemingly obsessed with the ideals of philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche.

I heard a lot about Nietzsche when I took philosophy of history at The University of Winnipeg; I didn’t pay too much attention then, and didn’t pay too much attention during the monologues about his theory during this play. Don’t get me wrong…Constible and McMillan did an excellent job committing to their roles, and it was certainly interesting to see their characters interact. But the dialogue lacked interest for me, which isn’t necessarily anyone’s fault.

Aside from the fellow CreComm students who filled the back row, most people in the audience seemed to be in their mid-fifties to late-eighties, which tells me that I was not the target audience for this play. So why would I be engaged?

Although I did fall asleep for a fair chunk of the first act, I managed to stay awake all the way through act two. Like the students who saw the play the night before said, the second act was a lot more interesting. Constible played the same character, but in this act she had decided to retire from her position as a prisoner psychologist. McMillan however, switched roles from the prisoner, to Prober’s uncle Eric.

The relationship these two characters portrayed was interesting to watch. Although they spent the majority of the scene arguing with each other, you could tell they once had many similarities between them.

I commend McMillan for his acting chops, because he found a way to make sure his two characters were complete opposites, right down to the way he carried himself. In the first act he was walking around with his arms flailing, and sat in a slouched position when he decided to take a seat. As uncle Eric, he walked tall, straight, and with swag.

Constible also did a great job with the different sides of Prober she played. She had a lot more energy in the second act (a requirement of her character of course), and she delivered her lines with such heart.

So, what did I think of the play in a nutshell? The dialogue wasn’t as intriguing as I would’ve liked, but I give a big round of applause to Constible and McMillan for delivering great performances.

Sunday 8 April 2012

Magazine Fair


On March 30th, us first-year CreComm students hosted a Magazine Fair, or tradeshow, if you will. We’d been working on creating our very own magazines since January, and the fair was the last component to completing the 3-month long project. In order to produce these magazines we had to pitch our topic idea, write feature articles, do our own photography, design a variety of advertisements, come up with filler content, write creative and publicity proposals, perfect the layout, and everything in between. 

There was a ton of different magazine topics created this year. Topics included blogging, Jets fans, sushi, candy, hip-hop, technology for women, and so on.  Our group decided to create a magazine about sex, Undressed Winnipeg. Undressed Winnipeg is not Playboy, it’s not Cosmo; it’s about sexuality in Winnipeg and how different people choose to express it. We talked about BDSM in the community, male erotic dancers, and so much more. 
 *Would you like to read Undressed Winnipeg? Leave a comment with your email, and I'll send you a FREE PDF

I’ve always wanted to create a magazine, and every time I hold the finished product in my hands, I can’t believe I’ve actually had the opportunity to do so. I learned so many things with this project. I’ve learned a lot about the magazine world, but I also learned a lot about myself. I learned more about my work ethic as it relates to working in a group, and I learned the list of things I want to do with my life is getting longer by the minute. 

But we’ll talk more about that another day...for now...back to the magazine fair.

At our booth we gave away a ton of goodies. We had chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate cookies filled with cayenne pepper (an aphrodisiac), stickers, bottled water, lubricant samples, and hand massages....all fun stuff! Since the cover of our magazine incorporated different shades of green, we decided to dress up our booth to match that theme. And of course, we had to have two blowouts of our magazine cover, featuring the beautiful Kimiya Yussuf. 


But among our booth, was a bunch of other really amazing works of art. We were right next to Umami magazine and they had definitely gone all out with their Japanese theme. They were giving out free sushi all day, and of course I snuck in a piece or two. I tried BBQ’d eel for the first time....and it was delicious.



I made my way down to Kaendi (candy) magazine and they had some candy trivia going on. People who answered their questions correctly got to fill up a Kaendi-branded bag with all the candy they could fit. Definitely a crowd pleaser!



Chip was a magazine created for kids, and so of course the creators had cute little kids helping them out with their booth. They invited people to join them in Twister, hoola hoop contests, and other fun games. And their tie-dye shirts were pretty awesome! 
  
Swig magazine also had a really impressive booth. They weren’t allowed to serve real alcohol, but they made a good mix of virgin beverages. And instead of having a typical table set-up, their section was filled with lounge style couches, which was definitely in keeping with the theme of their magazine.



I was really excited to see the Black Tutu booth. Although it wasn’t a project requirement, they did a lot of promotion for their magazine, which really got everyone pumped about checking it out. I didn’t snag a picture of it, but they brought in a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, and people who visited their booth had a chance to take pictures on it. If I didn’t have to hurry back to my own booth, I definitely would’ve gotten my picture taken, too. 

Overall, all of the booth were really good, and you could tell a lot of hard work went into creating them 

Want some tradeshow tips?

1.       Design your booth and it’s functionality to be consistent with the brand of your product.
2.       People LOVE free food. But cookies and cupcakes tend to get over done, and people often get overwhelmed with all of the sugar. Take notes from Umami magazine, and try handing out sushi, or something equally delicious.
3.       Being in a standstill behind your booth makes it hard for you to engage with your audience, and makes it look like you’re not interested in your product. Come to the side or the front of the table, so people get the chance to learn more about your product, and why it would be of interest to them.
4.       Know your product! Believe it or not, people are going to want to know more about what you’re presenting to them. Be prepared to answer any and all questions about what you’re trying to sell, or advocate.
5.       Have fun! If you’re having fun, you’re audience will want to have fun with you.